Michael Budden
Michael Budden, born in1957, is an internationally known artist living and working in his native New Jersey. From 1980 thru 1995 Budden, concentrated on painting wildlife winning over 100 awards in shows across the country. His unique use of composition, mood and lighting had attracted the attention of major art publishers, art magazines and museums. His paintings can be found in the collections of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI; Hiram Blauvelt Wildlife Museum, Oradell, NJ; and the Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT. As well as many private collections. His art has been featured in magazines like American Art Review, The Artists Magazine, Wildlife Art News, and Midwest Art.
Around 1989 Mike became dissatisfied with just the studio approach to painting and he started painting “en plein air”. Painting outdoors direct from nature. The artist states: “My transition to plein air painting is based on painting from my heart about what I see and how I feel about what I see not some notion about marketability. An artist learns more about value, color, and making decisions when painting direct from nature plus there is something freeing out there. When I was younger, I discovered the art of Monet and loved it, so I tried painting outdoors and enjoyed the struggle and progress I made with each new attempt. I have returned to this pure reaction painting to the beautiful stimuli I encounter everyday hopefully with a learned eye and honed skills. Some of the plein airs are sold as is and others are translated into larger studio works.
Mike graduated with degrees in art from Mercer County Community College and the College Of New Jersey. He continues to enjoy studying various periods of art history but especially likes Impressionism. He is a consistent award winner at the Salmagundi Club, NY, recently winning two of the Clubs top awards, the “2009 Alden Bryan Memorial Award for a Traditional Landscape in Oil” and the recent major” Purchase Award” in 2008. His painting “Flatiron” now hangs alongside some of the most prominent American artist in history Mike also has won numerous local awards in shows at the Canal Frame Craft Gallery and Coryell Gallery. He won “ “Best Marine” at the first “Easton Plein Air Event” in Easton, MD. In 2006, Mike was invited to design the White House Easter Egg representing New Jersey and met with the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush during the unveiling of the exhibit. A list of galleries and catalog of work can be found at www.mikebudden.com.
